The failed hierarcheal parliamentary party structures adopted
from the old monarchies of central European countries used by
Belize, continues to be the enemy of finding Belizean economic
development and self sufficiency. As in the two hundred year
histories of Central European countries, bankruptcy, devaluation
and inflation continue to hover over Belize in a black cloud.
The National Debt continuing to climb to the BILLION dollar mark.

To change the system structure will take a neoliberal from
outside the two major organized parties controlled by the
intellectuals of the port town Belize District capital.
Insiders, which in Belize mean intellectuals from the town of
Belize City, the old capital of the British Colony, are unlikely
to dismantle the state-interventionist development model that
benefits the vested interests of the port town hungry
intellectuals. In a country like Belize blessed with so much
opportunity, the intellectuals cannot bring themselves to go out
into the districts and make their fortunes through hard work, in
a manner suitable to an agricultural country.

Market reform is more likely in a structure that will dislodge
the dominant role of this one town, the capital of one district,
that rules the other five districts in a set of chains that seem
unbreakable. The idea has come after 30 years of Independence,
to change the representative structure of political control to
geographical representation for the next 25 years instead of the
population representation currently favored by port town
intellectuals. The rural districts need equal representation in
parliament, or a mix of systems in a check and balance format.

The two major political parties of Belize are highly
institutionized and controlled by cliques of intellectuals from
only one port town in the Belize District, the ancient capital of
the British Colony. The UDP is less institutionalized and can be
categorized as a party of GREED and PERSONAL ENRICHMENT. The PUP
the other major political party has the SAME FLAWS, but shows
much more institutionalization. Strong parties make their cadres
climb a long ladder of positions before they reach national
office. In Belize, a very small country, it follows a similar
course, but is more into establishing career politicians in
organized networks. The strong party of the PUP can block the
ascent of populist, or revolutionary mavericks. While the
current leader of the party, Said Musa and Prime Minister showed
promise of being the equal of, and possibly superior to his
predecessor George Price; the results in the first year in office
have been extremely disappointing. Whereas George Price would
grab the bull by the horns, so to speak and forge ahead in
dramatic breaks with tradition through use of intuition; the
current successor to the party leadership showed similar promise;
but so far has failed to deliver what the country needs for
Economic Development. A complete break with the inherited
political structure is needed, and the new party leader is
failing to deliver what the country needs. Another nine months
should tell, but breaking with tradition does not seem to be his
forte and his filling of the shoes of the party leader before him
seems to be only a shadow of the needs of the nation of Belize
for the future. This does not take away from him, his hard work,
ambition and intellect. Just that it is judged misplaced by
outside observers in maintaining the status quo.

Lacking in the new PUP leadership, is discipline and pragmmatic
commitment. The PUP and the UDP have excelled in copying and
perpetuating the failed policies of two hundred years of
centralized European style parliaments. These two Belizean
parties and particularly the PUP give patronage hungry favorites
and rent seeking interest groups access to decision making and
thus undermine the universalist market rules, and help to
maintain privileges of a special class citizen. They have
developed a two class society in Belize. This creates a distaste
for politics and a reluctance for patriots to enter what is
obviously a dirty mafia style business.

While campesinos, farmers, small investors, fishermen and
others from the other five districts, know from 'common sense'
that a rollback of central planning and state intervention is
needed to liberate market forces from political interference, the
less practical intellectuals of the old capital, who dominate the
nation through a rigged set of electoral rules are looking out
for their own self enrichment and trying to use their
intellectual ideas to live off the proceeds of the rural
producers in the six districts, who may be less intellectual,
less educated; but infinitely wiser in pragmatic decision making.

The rural district people though less educated and with smaller
vocabularies, have the common sense to blame the patronage-
orientated intellectual politicians from the port town and
government officials for the cancerous growth of governmental
activism in regulation and production; which in their rural view
undermines efficiency. The intellectuals in the port town and
the newer capital of Belmopan are blamed for grandoise expensive
schemes and a rising national foreign debt that is mortgaging
future generations of producing Belizeans with ever needed rising
taxes to pay for them. Yet all the while, the rural producer
wants simple things. Like an office in his village to get a
truck license, a place to file his income tax form, get a
passport, or fill a pothole in the street, or a bulldozer to
grade the road nearby and dig out a boulder that is denting his
oil pan. A telephone line or electricity also would not go
amiss. Belize could easily tone down the large scale schemes and
grow at a more moderate comfortable slower pace, more fitting to
the abilities of a small population. Certainly the quality of
life would rise.

State owned, or controlled enterprises including monopolies
under one regulatory disguise or another, are another impediment
to Belizean development. The trouble with monopolies and state
ownership of enterprises that do not operate like private
enterprises, are that State controlled enterprises are used
politically in Belize for the needs of the current government.
Usually financial needs. The situation of state owned
enterprises or quasi privatized monopolies in Belize is also
geared to advancing the needs of the current political party in
power; as the government and these state enterprises are usually
exploited to create a situation where these same enterprises will
create problems for the next government that inherits, while
making the current party in power look good.

State-controlled enterprises are used, or created to be used
for public employment. State ownership becomes a good way to buy
votes, by keeping the enterprise afloat and therefore party
supporters employed at the expense of the other five district
rural productive sectors in Belize. This is an exploitive policy
by port town intellectuals and anti-growth for a self sufficient
nation of Belize. The rewards are often tenured appointments and
high salaries above the norm of the majority of the population
net incomes. In Belize, this is sometimes one hundred times
greater net income, than is experienced by a productive small
entrepreneur in rural areas. An artifical setup. The higher the
salaries, usually the higher the value of services to the party
in power. In Belize, the parties and particularly the PUP make
as many government appointments as possible to maximize gains.
Even if it means mortgaging many future generations of Belizeans
with taxes on production from rural districts. Future production
in an uncertain world economy is by no means guaranteed. The
drawback to this scenario is that appointments made by one party
in power for a five year cycle become worthless to the next party
assuming power. From the standpoint of the appointee, he or she,
hopes to make enough money at inflated incomes above the average
norm of rural producer entrepreneurs in five years; to establish
some sort of business income to pay for the five lean years.

A new innovative twist to this scenario in Belize, is the
offering of gratuities, or tips, to political aspirants who fail
to get re-elected. The tips from this last election came to
about eight years work and net income for an average producer
entrepreneur in the rural districts. A very fine return indeed!
This does not count additional annual pensions for what should be
temporary politicians giving public service as a sideline in such
a small population and country; which of themselves represent
three or four times the average net income of a producing rural
entrepreneur. Politics in Belize is a lucrative setup by local
standards of incomes, arranged by the party intellectuals from
the port town that dominate the political process around the
nation from only one Belize District, of the six national
districts. Exploitation is hardly the right word. Rape is more
descriptive from a national development perspective!

The use of state controlled enterprise job patronage repesents
a double gain for the party in power and a double loss for the
party in opposition. Using the hiearcheal structure designed to
maximize GREED and SELF ENRICHMENT, it is little wonder that
Belize cannot develop economically, or achieve any self
sufficiency. Population census figures show this should in
reality be an easy achievement with perhaps a different more
country style standard of living. Higher in quality, lower
incomes, but less work and more recreational activities.

One of the setbacks to Belizean Development is the built-in
incentive to assign government contracts, in which the sunk costs
are raised to high investment levels. The rationale is that the
higher the current investment is, the less likely it will be for
the opposing party and future operator of the nation of Belize
for five years to discontinue the project. The longer the
contracts and the more specific the provisions spelled out, the
less will be the incentive for the future (political party) owner
to break it, or deviate from it. Though this is usually a
dramatic situation confronting each switch in party government
for five year cycles, much covered by local media in the port
town of Belize City.

The net result of this type of Belizean contract assignments
over time, is micromanagement, risky projects, uneconomic
projects and a more rigid labor intensive structure than would
befit a private investment enterprise for discretionary purposes.

Both parties are guilty of singlemindedly insisting on new
projects requiring huge capital investments, supposedly for their
discretionary aims. Sometimes state controlled enterprises give
revenues in excess of tax receipts. The propensity is to
encourage and increase state control in Belize because of the
revenue and tax aspects of revenue, benefiting the political
party in power and giving them discretionary funds to buy
political support and votes. Even when it makes more sense for
the government to get out of the business for Belizean
Development purposes. Both BEL and BTL are examples of these
type policies.

Public investments tend to be investment poor. (BTL and the
Toledo District hill communities is an example ) The skimming or
rake from the enterprises to benefit the needs of the current
party in centralized power take precedence over actual national
development. In the case of patronage jobs, the sale of a public
enterprise, or legislation allowing competition would require
layoffs to reduce government overstaffing. This would
financially effect the party in power.

Democracy has paradoxical consequences in state controlled, or
operated enterprises in Belize. While quasi privatization
occurs, efficiency or control does not necessarily improve.
State ownership is not inherently inefficient, or lacking in
control. Rather it highlights the problems inherited with
cyclical party ownership, or centralized government control by a
party. It is the inability to achieve a rationale performance
because of the demands by a political party who is in temporary
cyclical ownership of the enterprise. Temporary party owners in
Belmopan are interested in acquiring profits and taxes and jobs
for the short term, instead of working for the future of Belize
the nation and any potential long term benefits. The hierarcheal
structure of resulting party ownership thus defeats development
of Belize.

The new horizontal governing structure proposed by the
Exploratory Committee of the Belize Reform Party is supposed to
tackle these problems. The horizontal governing structure with
checks and balances should more distribute party controls to
local party representatives instead of centralizing and
consolidating them as done under the current structure; which is
to the detriment of future Belizean development under the
inherited central European failed hiearcheal political power
structure designed for exploitation and failure by the historical
record, presently in current use in Belize.

It may not be that the new leader of the PUP political party in
power lacks the iniative to break with the traditions of the
past, like his mentor did, the party leader before him. It may
be simply a case of not being aware of the underlying causes that
creates development performance in Belize, or lack thereof. Most
persons in the thick of things, swamped with the micromanagement
concerns of the current hiearcheal political structure are only
peripherally aware of the cause and effect of the actions of
their party in policy making and the structure which is governing
their actions. To break with tradition and seek success for the
nation of Belize, a step back, pause and time to consider
ACTIONS, the structure in which ACTIONS are taken and the seeking
of newer more democratic successful methods of operation is
needed. Basically, the use of distribution of political power,
the assignment of autonomy, means a shift in the way a political
party in Belize operates. Gone will be the current dictatorial
style hierarcheal structure and a more loose independent
political party representative on the local scene will gain more
responsibility.

Democracy assumes there will be a divergence of interests.
Not only between political parties in Belize, but temporary
shorter term governments with members of the same party following
the legitimate pursuit of different objectives on their local
district scene. The current very overlong term five year cycle
of political party changeover and the control they have over
state controlled enterprises, the more they undermine state
ownership in this cyclical long run. The only capability of
function and investment by state ownership is because of the
large investments required. BEL electrical power distribution
grid for example. State ownership is not inherently bad, it is
the cyclical requirements of changing five year party cycles in a
hierarcheal structure that makes it inefficient. The gains from
current party ownership of state controlled enterprises and
planned problems to be passed on to the next political party
owners are what create the inefficiencies.

The UDP never had any foresight, or future plans for the nation
of Belize in development. They have always been a simple
caretaker style exploitive party. But nowadays there is little
distinction between public and private behavior of both major
political parties to the outside observer, which includes the
current party in power, the PUP. From an outside observer's
viewpoint, the only subject of interest to government officials
is a view of GREED AND SELF-ENRICHMENT, during their current term
of exploitation, or rape of the economy. That future Belizean
generations will be burdened with suffering for their current
self gratification seems not to worry them at all. They will be
retired or dead anyway. Historically, this is the repeated
history of central European parliamentary hierarcheal systems
over the last 200 years. At some point the debt comes crashing
down in the form of wiping out savings of the population,
devaluations and inflation. And actual nation wide development
never happens.

From colonial days up until recent times, it has been the habit
of centralized dictatorial governments around the world, to keep
their rural producers ignorant and information limited. This is
true also in Belize. Yet research shows that development in a
third world country comes with better education and the ability
to know and understand what is going on in their government. If
this can be matched with local participatory government, then
living standards rise and family wealth increases and social
problems and criminality drop. Belize was once ruled by a
colonial government and in partnership with this government the
Catholic Church ruled alongside, as a default government. In
recent years in Belize, the Catholic Church has received
competition from Evangelical creeds and growth of Protestant
congregations. The power of the Catholic Church has receded as a
substitute government, yet old habits linger on. The Catholic
Church in Belize is a hierarcheal structure and has never
supported or promoted self government, local autonomy, or greater
participatory democracy. One would assume this may be a
worldwide phenomena, but it is not so. In Zambia the Catholic
Church has been very formative in fostering community
participation through discussion groups and development projects
among the rural base congregations. Indeed, the role it is
playing in Zambia in encouraging horizontal local governing
linkages among parishoners for political participatory democracy,
challenges the hierarchical institution whose rigidities block
the formation of social capital. Nearly all the church
associations in Zambia are operating programs of Civics education
at local levels nationwide. The subject of the rights of
citizens are foremost in local churches. Wish it could happen in
Belize. An interesting phenomena in Zambia is that most voters
do not carry party cards. The citizens prefer non partisan
nonalignment. This is also accompanied by low voter turnout. In
Belize, the two major political party elites continue to use
parties to divide the population. Between us and them attitude.
Colored flags, slogans and hatred are common among the rank and
file. The party system in Belize is contrary to Belizean
Development and pro-political party development and partisanship.
The party elites continue to encourage limited education among
their rank and file voters, counting on their ignorance to allow
themselves to be regimented and brainwashed with slogans, so that
voters are ill prepared to make an informed political choice.
This is consistant with top-down ruler/leader single-party wins
the government rule worldwide. It is easier to control citizens
and their behavior when they are ill informed. Such a system is
good for a party based on greed and self enrichment opportunism,
but lousy for a nation needing development.

Angry with the UDP for failing to implement political reform
during their term in office and unhappy with the pace of progress
of political reform promised in what appears to be an excercise
in DOUBLE SPEAK by the PUP. A small group of citizens are
gearing up for a contest in the next elections in four years, as
a Belize Reform Party. No one, apparently wants to really enter
the political arena, but progress and Belize Development is going
to have to be won either by a political contest for the minds and
hearts of the voters, or by armed revolution which is the
historical result for such events. The only other solution is
that the PUP will show leadership like they did under George
Price and break with tradition making a new political operating
structure for Belize. The next nine months will tell if the PUP
have any intention of reforming the political structure of
Belize. Hoping that they will, the Belize Reform Party
Exploratory Committee has published it's second rough draft of a
manifesto. If the PUP want to adopt it, that is fine, but
failing that, it will be the subject of contention in the next
elections.

BELIZE REFORM PARTY MANIFESTO
2nd Rough Draft

Belize Governing Restructuring.
=========================================================
One shot term party to bring participatory democracy and then the
party will dissolve, if it has the majority to accomplish this.
========================================================

Bi Cameral government

SENATE

1) To be an elected body with a gender quota. One female and one
male Senator from each of the six districts.
2) Give the Senate the line item veto on legislation passed by
the parliament in horsetrading for a consensual legislation.
3) Set Senate terms for 3 years.

PARLIAMENT

1) Reduced elected representatives to two years service.
2) Stagger the election of half the legislature so that each
half is elected alternate years.
3) Neither Senators, nor elected representatives can serve on
the Cabinet, or as Prime Minister.
4) The position of elected representative is limited to three
terms of office for any individual.

CABINET

1) Will be limited to six cabinet posts, by direct ballot from
the national population.
2) Cabinet Minister will be elected to serve two year terms.
3) Cabinet Minister's cannt be a Minister for more than two
terms.
4) The Cabinet can propose legislation to the parliament. Each
cabinet member will have only one vote in cabinet meetings.

PRIME MINISTER

1) The Prime Minister will be elected by popular ballot on a
national scale.
2) Prime Minister will serve for only one year.
3) The Prime Minister will only be allowed to sit for a maximum
of three terms in office.
4) The Prime Minister will have the tie breaking vote in Cabinet
meetings.
5) The final signing of any legislation into law will be the
responsibility of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will be
able to excercise a final line item veto on such legislation,
before signing.
6) The Prime Minister will be able to excercise a total veto
over any legislation.

LOCAL DISTRICT GOVERNMENTS

1) Local District Government will be comprised of a District
Commission of seven independently elected members.
2) Time limit for District Commission service will be two years.
3) Four District Commissioners will be elected one year.
4) Three District Commissioners will be elected an alternate
year to the first four Commissioners.
5) A term limit of three terms will be applied to District
Commissioners.
6) Not more than three District Commissioners can represent all
the towns over 800 population in the district
7) Quota limits on gender for District Commissions. At least
three District Commissioners must be female.
8) No legislation that passes parliament and the Senate can be
signed into law by the Prime Minister until the District
Commissions are given 90 days to review the legislation. Said
legislation must reach the District Commissions within 15 days of
agreement by the Senate and Parliament. The District Commissions
will be given an additional 90 days to peruse the legislation.
If no District Commission vetos, or objects to said legislation
within 90 days, only then will it go to the Prime Minister for
approval and signing.

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW LEGISLATION

1) Establish legislation calling on a 20 year cyclical review of
the Constitution to bring it up to date to modern times and
social issues.

THE ISSUE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND COMPENSATION

1) Cancell all gratuities (tips) and pensions now existing for
elected politicians. The subject must be debated and
restructured under the new style of governing, with compensation
set by the revised Belize Government.
2) Compensation for political representative service, salaries,
expenses and travel allances, etc., will be passed by new
legislation under the new participatory governing democratic
system.

BALLOTING

1) Balloting will be set up, so that it can be carried out, if
necessary, up to four times a year at local voting stations.
2) Prohibit the advertising of party affiliation at balloting
stations and areas.
3) Re-vamp the electoral divisions legislation and districts.

LEGISLATION TO BOOST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1) Abolish the income tax.
2) 35% of national revenue will be distributed to the six
district governing commissions equally and quartely.
3) National credit worthiness. A law will be passed making
foreign loans that accumulate for the National Debt by the
Government of Belize limited to a total of 20% of the revenues of
the average of the income to the federal government over the last
two years. Should this limit be overrun for any reason, a
mandatory freeze on borrowing foreign loans will automatically be
placed on the Federal Government until such time as the National
Debt drops below 12% of the average government revenue at the
Federal level for the past two years income.
4) Change mineral rights laws, so property owners have rights
and share of any profits.
5) Establish a Free Trade zone in the southern area of Belize.
6) Make the Toledo District, a duty free zone for imports for a
period of 25 years.
7) Give any Belizean who stays in the duty free zone of the
Toledo District for 72 continuous hours, the right to leave with
$800 worth of duty free goods.
8) Change the banking laws to allow small Belizean owned local
banks to compete with branches of foreign owned banks in the
Belizean Financial market.
9) Make anti-monopoly legislation with heavy fines and
penalties.
10) Establish a competitive environment for the production of
electricity by private companies to sell to the public.
11) Encourage telecommunications competition and modernization.
12) Establish a cruise ship dockage in the southern area of
Belize.
13) Encourage establishment of a Belizean Stock Exchange.
14) Increase the number of co-operative starting field officers.
Perhaps through a volunteer National Service Act for a swap on
tuition scholarships.
15) De-criminalize Indian hemp growing varieties.
16) Make pupil to teacher ratio legislation for public taxpayer
supported schools. ( max-28)
17) Allow Belize citizens anywhere in the world to vote by
absentee ballot in their local district elections.
18) Allow Belizeans to have multiple citizenships.
19) Change the Referendum Act to include petition capability for
villages, towns, districts and national issues.

POLICE SYSTEM RE-STRUCTURING

1) Pass legislation authorizing District governments, town
governments and village governments to elect their own police
chiefs and hire their own constables. There will be some
matching grants set by a sitting committee of the parliament.
Needs to be passed as legislation. Police chief elected terms
wil be for two years.
2) The national police force will become a specialist force with
highly trained personel to serve local police forces needs.

DEFENSE

1) District training militia's will be established for the
defense of the country, with mandatory service for all adults
between 18 and 45 years of age.
2) The National Belize Defense Force will organize training for
district militias.

CRIMINALITY AND CRIME

1) Revise the gun laws, to allow all people to own guns who wish
to.

GENERAL STUFF:

1) Make the Justice of Peace position, a license. Available to
any qualified applicant for a fee.
2) Elect local community magistrates for local court.